Sheet-glass-drawing apparatus



April 21, 193.1.'

' J. T. zEgLERs SHEET GLASS DRAWING APPARATUS `Filed March 31, 1928 Patented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES T. ZELLERS, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR TO LTBBEY-OWENS-FORD Y GLASS COMPANY, F TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO SHEET-GLASS-DRAWING APPARATUS VApplication filed March 31, 1928. Serial N'o. 266,122.

This invention relates to improvements in the artrof producing sheet glass and is primarily designed for and finds its greatest utility when incorporated in a glass tank 5 furnace ofthe type generally employed in the Colburn process for drawing sheet glass Valthough it is of course not necessarily restricted to use in such connection.

In ,the Colburn system for drawing sheet glassv as shown for example in the patent to I. W. Colburn 1,248,809 granted Dec. 4, 1917, the/glass producing materials are melted in one end of a rather long tank furnace, the moltenv glass flowing slowly through the melting and refining portions of the furnace to the opposite end thereof where the surface glass flows in theform of a relatively thin stream or body into a shallow receptacle from which the sheet is drawn. Suitable 2o sheet width maintaining means preferably in the form of knurled rolls are adapted to engage opposite sides of. the sheet at both edges thereof and preferably adjacent its base to prevent the drawn sheet from narrowing.` These rolls, as ordinarily used, tend to form thickened knurled edges on the sheet and which edges are subsequently trimmed off, usually subsequent to the annealing operation.

Heretofore, it has been customary for the glass to How from the furnace into the shallow receptacle in the form of a relatively thin stream or body, said stream being of a Vwidth substantially equal to that of said re- 'ceptacle An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved system for feeding the moltenglass from the furnace to the relatively shallow receptacle or pot from which the sheet is drawn whereby to improve the quality of the sheet produced..

As herein exemplified, this may be accomplished by diverting the flow of the surface glass in the furnace from its normal course and causing it to enter the shallow receptacle or draw pot at the sides thereof only `rather than across its entire width. In this manner, the glass will be delivered into the draw pot at the sides thereof adjacent the width maintaining means or knurled rolls and by diverting the flow of surface glass (which usually contains the principal defects in the glass) toward the knurled rolls or sides of the draw pot, said defects will be concentrated and diverted to the lmurled rolls and will thus be drawn into the edges of the sheet instead of being spread all across the receptacle, in which event they would be drawn into the main body of the sheet. Also, feeding the flow of. glass into the draw pot at the sides rather than to the center thereof will tend to deliver hotter glass to the knurled rolls which should result in producing better and thinner knurled edges on the sheet as well as reducing devitrification of the glass at this point as Well as throughout the entire pot.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent during the course of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying 7o drawings.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the containing a mass of molten glass 6. This e5u molten glass is first produced in the melting 4end of the furnace not here shown but being at the right of Fig. 1, the glass then flowing slowly through the furnace to the refining portion 5 and thence into the smaller and 90 Y as shown-particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, there l somewhat shallower so-called cooling chamber 7. From the cooling chamber 7 the glass flows into the still shallower working receptacle or draw pot 8 herein shown as being sup- Y sheet may becontinued vertically if desired. From' the cooling chamber 7 vthe glass flows* under the jack-archl-into.receptacle 8 andv all ofthe surface glass in said receptacle eX- cept the comparatively narrowtransverse i strip from which sheet 11 is drawn upwardly is enclosed by the cover-tiles 16 and 17.

AAt each side of sheet 11 a hollow metallic watery-cooled shield 18 may be placed with its lower. edge closely'adjacent `the. molten pool 12. These shields or coolerslS serve toprotectY the sheet source from heated gases flowing outunder the cover-tiles 16 and 17 and at the same timev absorb heatofrorm the Vsurface glass whichV passes under the lower edges 'of t-he coolers, thus reducing this glass to theproper temperature tobe drawn into sheet form. Y

Heretofore, thel glass has ordinarily been permitted to flow from the cooling vchamber 7 into the draw pot 8 in abody or stream eX- tendingsubstantially the 4entire width thereof with the result that any defects which'wer'e upon `the surface. of the molten" glass wouldV be spread'across the entire widthof the pot and be dra-wn upwardly into the body of the sheet. According to the presentV inveinion,`

however, the molten glassy is caused to flow from the cooling chamber 7 into drawpot 8 1n a novel and improved manner so as to concentrateV the 'surface defects and divertv themto and cause them to be drawn into the edges of the sheet instead of into the body thereof. Y .j

VIn carrying out theV present invention and is arranged within the cooling chamber V7 a How diverting or dam member 20. rlhis memberis preferably positioned in the center of the cooling chamber 7 and rests uponthe.

' bottom thereof,`said member consisting either of a single refractory slab or monolithic construction or being of built-up block construction as desired. The member 2O is substantially triangular in'top plan with its smaller or narrower end 21 facing in the direction of .the furnace while its wider forward end 22.

is positioned at substantially the juncture of the cooling chamber 7 :and draw pot 8 and sub1 stantially parallel with the line `of formation of sheet 11.

Associated with thegsmaller end 21 of member 20 is a floater 23 having the bent end portions 24 engaging the member 20 to prevent accidental displacement of said lioater. The iloater 23 is adapted to be removable in order vthat it may be replaced when the same becomes worn or broken. While the floater 23 may be immersed within the molten glass throughout the entire depth of the cooling chamber 7 it has been herein shown as being immersed therein for only a slight distance. Such a construction is desirable in view of the fact that the floater need not be anchored in place and since the greatest wear or deteriorating eect upon the kmember20 would be at the top thereof due, in part, to the-more* rapid movement of thek surface glass.

Vlhe opposite side faces 25VY and 26 of the member 2O diverge forwardly so as to cause theglass to flow toward the sides of the cooling chamber. rlhe member 20 is spaced from the side walls ofthe cooling chamber a distance sumcientitov create therelativelyf ref*- stricted passages 27 and728 through which the glass'fiows into draw pot .8. lThese .pas-

sages are substantially in line vwith the edges of the sheet sothat the glass will enterthe' draw pot first .about the position of the lrnurled rolls 19- and will then circulate or spread throughout the pot. v j `With the use of such a member 'as' above described, the liow of glass through the' cool-Vl ing chamber will be divertedV from its normal .course and caused to flow to the opposite sides thereof and thence into the draw pot through passages 27 and 28. The central flow of` glass through the cooling chamber is naturally somewhat hotter than are the border portions thereof and the diverting of the flowof glassinto the sides of the Vdraw potrather than at the center thereof will tend to deliver.

this hot glass to the knurls thereby tending to l reduce devitriflcation of the glass at "this point and resulting in the production of bete ter and thinner knurled edges on the sheet..

Heretofore, in actual practice, theglass immediately adjacent the knurls has had a tend yencyto becomedevitrified rendering necessary the use of pipe-burners orgthe like'fo-r remelting the same. yThese burners, however, have a tendency to'produce-seedsand blisters in the sheet. "With the present construction, Y.

it .is possible to eliminate allsu'ch burners so that' the objectionable features incident to their use is avoided.

The construction shown in Fig.` 3 Aissub#v stantially the same as that shownA inFigs. 1l

and 2 the principal 'diferencebeing thatthe block-work or slab 2()l is maintained spaced from the bottomy ofthe cooling chamber7 l'so `that only the surface glass which, as statedl above,contains theprincipal defects in the glass) is diverted to the knurled rolls orfsidesof the draw pot while the sub-surface glass iszpermitted to flow beneath't'hemember as indicated at 25 into the pot 8 throughout the width thereof.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention'or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim 1. In apparatus for producing sheet glass, a glass melting furnace adapted to contain a constantly moving body of molten glass, a working receptacle in communication With the furnace for receiving the molten glass therefrom, means immersed Within the molten glass within the furnace at substantially the juncture thereof with the receptacle for diverting the flow of surface glass from the center of the furnace and causing it to enter said receptacle at the sides thereof only, and a removable floater member associated with said means.

2. In apparatus for producing sheet glass, a glass melting furnace adapted to contain a constantly moving body of molten glass, a draw pot in communication with the furnace for receiving the molten glass therefrom, means for drawing a sheet from the glass within the draw pot, means immersed within the molten glass within the furnace at substantially the juncture thereof with the draw pot for obstructing the flow of surface glass into the draw pot except at a point adjacent the edges of said sheet, said means being substantially triangular in top plan with its smaller end facing in the direction of the furnace, and a floater member removably associated with the smaller end of said means.

3. In apparatus for producing sheet glass, a glass melting furnace adapted to contain a moving body of molten glass, a working re ceptacle in communication with the furnace for receiving the molten glass therefrom, means immersed within the molten glass within the furnace and spaced from the bottom thereof for obstructing the flow of surface glass from the furnace into the receptacle except at the sides thereof only while allowing the sub-surface glass to flow into the receptacle throughout substantiall the entire width thereof,`and a removable oater member associated with said means.

4. In apparatus for producing sheet glass, a glass melting furnace adapted to contain a moving body of molten glass, a working receptacle in communication with the furnace for receiving the molten glass therefrom, a member immersed within the molten glass within the furnace and spaced from the bottom thereof for diverting the flow of surface glass from the center of the furnace and causing it to enter the receptacle at the sides thereof only while allowing the sub-surface JAMES T. ZELLERS. 

